


You Tried So Hard, And Got So Far

by HashtagPomegranate



Series: Soulmates Make It Work [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 19:12:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17607284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HashtagPomegranate/pseuds/HashtagPomegranate
Summary: There were days when Clint couldn’t understand how he could get so lucky.  He would stare at his soulmark almost not believing that they were there in such a thick beautiful script.  Much less that his soulmark was so strong and so loyal.And then there were the days that he couldn’t bear to look at his arm because while Tony Stark might be his complement, he was unfathomably stupid.





	You Tried So Hard, And Got So Far

**Author's Note:**

  * For [buhfly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/buhfly/gifts).



> Please read "It Worked Enough" before reading this story. It'll still make sense but there's some backstory.
> 
> This is dedicated to Buhfly who commented on this fic well after I had written the first part and asked for more in such a way that I suddenly had ideas flowing through my mind. 
> 
> I had a ton of fun writing this and hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know if this inspires emotions!

There were days when Clint couldn’t understand how he could get so lucky.  He would stare at his soulmark almost not believing that the words were there in such a thick beautiful script.  Much less that his soulmark was so strong and so loyal

 

And then there were the days that he couldn’t bear to look at his arm because while Tony Stark might be his complement, he was unfathomably stupid.  Complement didn’t mean perfect.  Complement meant that the person could pick you up when the world gets you down.  Unfortunately, complement apparently meant that Tony thought he couldn’t be trusted to stay around without being bribed. 

It had started with seemingly normal things; stay in the Penthouse with me.  You’re welcome to the food.  Let me introduce you to the bots. 

And if it had stayed that level it would have been fine.  Those were all things that one could expect of a significant other.  At least, that’s what Clint would have expected.  Except that his history wasn’t exactly spotless.  He had dated people he wasn’t matched to, but none of those were exactly long term.  In fact, they could all be described as ‘cluster-fucks.’  So, he wasn’t quite familiar with how this was all supposed to go. 

Except, he did know that his soulmate wasn’t supposed to buy him off.

He had written off most of Tony’s quirks as eccentricities.  He’s rich, those people are weird as fuck.  But it kept happening, and not with normal things. 

Next thing Clint knew he had more trick arrows than he knew what to do with.  That was fine because it technically benefited mankind.  The more tricks he had up his sleeve, the better the fights would go.

And then he ‘discovered’ there was a jet-pack in his uniform.  It wasn’t even a major battle.  Just one where the building he was on started to crumble (Just the corners!!!!) but before he could grab his grappling hook, a booster pack popped out of his vest and had him hovering in midair.  Have you ever tried shooting an arrow while hovering?  IT DOESN’T WORK!

By the time Clint figured out how to get onto a stable surface, the battle was already over.  And he hadn’t been any help at all. 

He went home a little irritated from that one.  Grumbled at Tony a little bit about the jet-pack before being coaxed into bed.  The whole point was that he knew the best place to be and that he would set up there far ahead of time.  But that was easy enough to disregard after Tony had captured his mouth and took him to bed. 

The next day though, he couldn’t help but to stew a little bit.  He had been in the range for a matter of hours before Natasha finally broke in and smacked the back of his head, luckily it was right after he had released an arrow so there was no worry about a comical miss. 

“What’s wrong?”  She asked, no nonsense in a way he both loved and hated depending on the moment.  This time it was somewhere in between.

“Tony keeps giving me stuff.” He muttered.

“And this is a problem…”  Natasha trailed off.  At Clint’s embarrassed shrug, she sighed and continued.  “He gives everyone things.  Have you ever noticed the way that we always seem to have new gear, or the way our phones all suddenly were upgraded, or that any time we mention a food we happen to like it shows up in the communal kitchen?”

He turned to face her, “Of course I’ve noticed all of that. I’ve always made sure to thank him for it too.  But I thought… I thought that now we were in a relationship he wouldn’t feel like he had to keep giving me things.”

Natasha only just managed to hold in a laugh.  “You thought he would give you less because he loves you?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I don’t know!”  He was so frustrated.  He had always been in touch with his emotions.  Paying attention to that little voice that said something wasn’t right had saved his life more than once.  But there was a difference between being aware of your emotions and understanding why they happened. 

Natasha clearly saw this written on his face and clapped him on the shoulder.  “We’re going drinking.  Just you and me.  I know this great place that serves dumplings and good Russian vodka.”

Clint nodded and knew that there was an imminent hangover. 

 

Clint’s phone vibrated against his thigh.  “Dinner tonight?  Pickup at 7.  There’s something special for you in the closet.”

Clint tossed an arm to feel out the other side of the bed.  There was no lingering warmth left over from Tony’s body heat.  Clearly, he been hit with a fantastic new idea that had driven him from their bed.  After all, Clint had been very aware that Tony had been dead to the world last night when Clint had finally fallen asleep, his hand just gracing Tony’s shoulder.  The two of them had learned quickly that they were never going to be able to sleep tangled together; given Tony’s dislike of intense heat and Clint’s wary reactions to unexpected touch in his sleep; that was something they had attempted a few times before ditching the whole idea.

But that hand, that was perfect.  Just enough of a grounding force to help break a nightmare, to show that they weren’t along.  It was such a comforting placement. 

Clint slipped in his hearing aids, and checked the time.  There were hours to go.  “Sure” he sent back before going about his day.  He took Lucky for a walk and then grabbed lunch with Natasha before hitting the range with Thor.

What had started as a friendly competition had turned into an interesting idea.  The two of them were working with metal arrows to see if they could be used to direct the current of Thor’s lightning.  The first time they had tried it they managed to shut down power to the entire building.  Tony was aghast and then laughed so hard he had to reach a hand out to catch himself on the sofa.

“How did I not realize that you two would find the most ridiculous way to cause damage to our home,” he wiped a tear from his eye.  “I’ll work to better insulate the range and update some security.”

And so it had come that Clint had the most high-tech range to ever exist.  It was working wonders too.  Clint and Thor had just experimented with Clint shooting multiple arrows at once when a beeping reminder went off. 

“Oops.” Clint looked at his watch, he had just enough time to get ready before heading off to meet Tony, “See you tomorrow?”

Thor nodded, “Indeed.  I am looking forward to seeing if we truly can use your arrows to split the direction of the current.  It would be the most interesting tactic to surprise a criminal.”  Clint held out his fist for a quick bump before locking his equipment away.

The shower wasn’t quite as quick as it should have been.  The hot water soaking away some of the aches from the constant practice of his craft.  Yet every ache meant he could be a little bit faster, a little bit better. 

He toweled off, dropped the towel in the chute and strode into the bedroom where Tony was just putting on his tie.  Tony seemed to catch his reflection in the mirror as he turned and looked Clint up and down. 

“You sure we need to be going to dinner?”

“Wasn’t this your idea?”  Clint said, pulling Tony in for a quick kiss. 

Tony ran his hands down Clint’s arms, letting them drop to his hips and pulling him closer, “Yeah, but you look like a meal.” 

“Down boy.”  Clint said, trying to use Pepper’s ‘I mean business’ tone of voice.  Given Tony’s smile, it did not have the same impact. 

He strutted into the closet, letting Tony appreciate the view.  And once he was in there his eyes were drawn to it.  A suit, another new suit.  Glancing around the closet it was easy to see the ten other suits that Clint now had.  Every single one of them a gift from Tony.  To his eyes, the new one wasn’t all that different; a stunning shade of navy blue with a nice cut. 

From experience, Clint knew it would fit perfectly, a chance to show off his tone and his arms.  But he couldn’t help the grimace that crossed his face, he had only worn each of the suits once.  The days of only having two sets of clothing flashed before his eyes.  The feeling of never truly be able to get clean.  That grimy layer that seemed to soak into his clothes no matter how long they were washed.  And how excited he would get when he had finally gotten something ‘new,’ something from a goodwill that he got to call his own. 

It felt so wasteful to have these ridiculously expensive suits that he pretty much never wore.  And instead of having a chance to re-wear one of them; Tony had just given him yet another. 

It was one more reminder that Tony didn’t trust him to stay.  He swallowed his pride and put the suit on.  It was clear that Tony cared, he was trying so hard to keep Clint there. 

He walked out and Tony was beaming.  Soft footsteps belied that Tony was walking over, and gentle hands removed the clunkily tied tie.  “I don’t think you need this until later.  You look great without it.” 

Clint pushed past his discomfort.  For whatever reason Tony clearly wanted to make this evening something special.  He could bring up how unnecessary the extravagant gifts were at a later time. 

It ended up being the right decision.  Tony had gotten a surprisingly private table in the back of a restaurant famous for their whiskey selection.  They had selected their drinks when the waiter brought out the menu.  Clint was slightly trepidatious as he reached for the menu.  So many of these places valued small portions of things that had unreasonably fancy names.  Screw caviar, just call it fish eggs.  Not everything should be made fancy.

It was another surprise that instead of a menu full of overpriced steaks and vegetables he had never heard of, it was the menu of their favorite diner.  At his look Tony leaned forward, “I know you hate the food at places like this.  I talked to them and they made an exception for us.  We get our burgers and our frankly fantastic whiskey.”

And this, this was a surprise Clint enjoyed.  It was such a perfect evening that he didn’t think to talk to Tony about the extravagance.

 

A few weeks passed, weeks where Clint surprised Tony with homemade breakfast, the team fought a few monsters, there was a series of really good dog-walks, and the whole team made fun of how schmoopy Steve would get about his straight-laced soulmate. 

Clint was sinking into the luxurious couch in Tony’s penthouse, getting ready for a dog-cops watch with Tony.  Jarvis had everything queued up for a marathon.  There was popcorn, and a small refrigerator with beer and sparkling water, and Lucky was already curled up on the couch; it was set to be a beautiful night. 

Tony leaned over the back of the couch to kiss Clint before maneuvering his way around.  Clint held his hand out, expecting Tony to pass over the drink, but a set of keys were dropped into his palm. 

“What’s this?”  Clint asked, “Jarvis already coded me in for access up here.”

“Just a little something,” Tony smiled.  “Jarvis, mind bringing up a pic of Clint’s new toy?” Tony finally slipped onto his normal seat, happily petting the dog in a quick hello.

“Of course, sir.”

The tv screen flickered and changed to a photo of a sleek jet, similar in style to the Quinjet.  “Is this your new project?  Looks nice.”  Clint said offhand, reaching towards the mini-fridge they kept in their living room. 

“Yup, and it’s all yours.” 

Clint’s hand halted before actually reaching the fridge.  “What?”

“I saw how you were eyeing the Quinjet last time we used it, and I figured you could use one of your own.”  His tone was so happy, seeming oblivious to the tension running through Clint’s form. 

Why couldn’t Tony get past this.  “What the fuck?”

 Tony’s forehead crinkled.  “What’s wrong?”

Clint flexed his hands, trying to get out some of the tension that had sprung up as soon as Tony had spoken about the jet.  “Why don’t you trust me?” He said this in a quiet, tense tone.

All that could be seen on the other man’s face was confusion.  “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the plane, the suits, the fancy dinners, the arrows, letting me live here, I’m talking about all of it.”

“I don’t get it,” Tony ran his hands through his hair, falling back into the couch. “Doesn’t the fact that I’m letting you into my home show that I trust you?”

“You’re trying to bribe me into staying!” Clint pushed himself off of the couch.  He needed to move.  Sitting still was making everything worse. Especially when it was clear that Lucky was picking up on his anxiety.

Tony had the gall to laugh.  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I’ve seen you do this.  You buy Pepper shoes, and make Rhodey the suit, and keep everything up to date for the Avengers.  It’s like you think we won’t want you without your money.”

The smile dripped off of Tony’s face.  “You notice something about everyone you just mentioned?”

“They’re all the people who have stuck around?”  Clint said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his tone.

“No, they’re all the people I like.  I’m not trying to bribe you into staying.  I know you aren’t the kind to cut and run.”

Clint scoffed and muttered, “my personal history says otherwise,” while crossing his arms. 

Tony’s volume was starting to rise, “It’s the fact that I care about you, you asshole.”

“You don’t need to prove that with money!”

“I know that!”  They were standing a few feet apart now. 

“Then why do you keep trying to prove it with money?”

Tony took a breath, trying to calm himself down.  Clint watched as he pulled his self-control back together, molecule by molecule.  “How do I put this?  I have money.”  He held his hands out to Clint waiting for an acknowledgment.  Clint nodded.  This was public information.  Tony was among Bill Gates, Oprah & Jeff Bezos. 

“I have enough money that I have far more than I would ever need.”  There was another pause.  Clint nodded again.  “Because of that, my idea of a small gift is different than yours might be?”  Another pause.  “I like doing things for the people who matter.  It’s not a gift to keep you around, it’s a gift because I want you to have something.”  He paused, clearly giving Clint time to let this sink in. 

Clint tried to let this cycle through.  The idea that the gifts weren’t a bribe and more of a thank you was hard to understand.  Weren’t they really two sides of the same coin?  Give a gift once and you might be able to expect them in the future. 

Tony reached forward grasping Clint’s biceps.  “I love you.  That isn’t going to change.  And because I want you, I want the best for you. Yeah, sometimes that means I’m going to get you something you consider outrageous, but sometimes it means I just want to get a burger and have a guy in a sharp outfit bring us whiskey.”

Clint closed his eyes.  The emotion coming from Tony all seemed genuine.  He needed to reciprocate.  But it was hard to feel this vulnerable, even in front of someone he cared about so much. 

“I came from nothing,” he bit out, not wanting to see Tony’s face.  “Almost every time I was given something, it was a bribe.  New arrows to keep me working with Trickshot, food to keep me from acting out.  Hell, sometimes they would withhold my ‘aids’ if I was pissing them off.  Gifts like this make me nervous because I can’t help but to think they’re a way of trying to make me act a certain way.”

“Oh babe,” the pet-name was new.  Tony was free with his nicknames but hadn’t before gifted Clint with one outside of the archery realm.  Clint wasn’t quite sure why, but the new endearment brought a sense of relief.

“I, I know in my brain that’s not what you’re trying to do, but…”

“I get it,” Tony cut him off.  “Something like that sticks with you.”

Clint leaned forward to rest his forehead against Tony’s.  It could be so easy to forget what Tony had dealt with.  Not even the shit from the recent years.  Childhood hurts would last a long time.  Even though people are better equipped as adults to deal with those hurts it didn’t change the fact that they were there and could pop up at inconvenient times. 

“God, you’re amazing.”  Clint breathed before continuing, “I’m still getting used to the fact that I can have things.  It’s been a lot of years of traveling light without a safe home base.  I just need you to take it easy with me.”

Tony laughed, “I can’t promise I’m going to stop giving you things, but I can try to remind you what you mean to me.”

Clint laughed, “If you’re planning on doing that now, we might need to put Lucky in his suite.” 

“Natasha loves dogsitting.” 

Clint leaned forward and kissed him.  “No she doesn’t.  She just loves us.  Can we just stick with our original plan?”

“Sure.”  Tony motioned towards Jarvis and the Dog-cops theme started playing.  Lucky perked up and Clint and Tony made themselves comfortable on the couch.

 

Two days later, Clint was fiddling around with his uniform and finally noticed the additional weight that made up the jet-pack.  He huffed out a laugh and poked around it. 

He put on the uniform and made his way to the roof deck.  Once he was there, and the wind was whipping through his hair, he pulled out his phone and called Tony. 

“Did you change your name in my phone to ‘love of my life?’” Was how Tony answered the phone.

“Sounds like Jarvis is learning something.  What did you do to piss him off?”

It sounded like Tony had turned away from the speaker, “I really am going to get around to donating you to a community college.” And then turning back to the speaker, “So, Love of my life, whatsup?”

“I have this theory.”  Clint said, taking two more steps to the edge.  Heights had never particularly scared him and he was happy for the view.

“Yeah?”

“That there has to be some way for me to control this jet-pack.  Because my soulmate wouldn’t be dumb enough to give me something that only activates when I’m in danger.”

There was a moment of silence as Tony realized what that sentence meant.  “Where are you?”

“Roof Deck.”

“Goddamit.” Tony whispered.

“See you in a few, sweetheart.”

“Why do I keep making you things again?”  Clint could hear the sounds of metal clanking and Jarvis’ voice murmuring in the background. 

Clint smiled, “Because you want me to have things.”  He jumped off the roof deck, whooping with joy as the jet-pack turned on exactly as he knew they would.  There was a short drop of about three feet before it caught him. 

The Iron Man suit came to hover right in front of him.  Tony popped open the face-plate. 

“So, are there controls to this?  Or are you going to need to direct me?” Clint smirked.

Tony tried to keep a stern face but couldn’t fight his smile.  He ran his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip while thinking about an answer.  “I’ll have to direct you this time.  How did I not realize my soulmate would be dumb enough to jump off a building?”

Clint shrugged, before he decided he didn’t like the way it affected the hovering, “I knew you would catch me.”


End file.
